A friend gave me Wild about Greens by Nava Atlas a while ago. I looked through this cookbook and thought “what a nice gift” but then never really did anything with it. I do enjoy reading cookbooks though I don’t always feel compelled to actually make anything from them.
Since we’re doing the 2021 Veggie Challenge and I’m trying to introduce some vegetables into my diet that, while not necessarily new, are foods that I don’t normally eat. When it comes to greens, I’m comfortable with a variety of lettuce, spinach, and kale. I struggle with some of the other greens but I’m feeling compelled to improve my greens repertoire. That’s when I remembered Wild about Greens.
This cookbook has 125 recipes in it, all based on greens.
The book is broken into five chapters:
- One is about the basic preparations of greens. It includes wonderful descriptions of the different types of greens and the best way to prepare them.
- Two focuses on greens with beans, grains, pasta, and other vegetables.
- Three covers salad dressings and dips.
- Four provides recipes for using greens in soups and stews.
- Five is green juices and smoothies.
One thing I like about the recipes is that at the end of each recipe it lists what other greens would be best used to replace what is used in the recipe.
There’s lots of good introductory material about how to buy and store your greens. It also covers basic ways to prepare them and explain some of the differences between the different greens. If you’re at all intimidated by the thought of cooking collard greens or of using dandelion weeds, this is a helpful resource. The recipes cover a wide range of dishes and she provides lots of great advice about how best to use the various sauces and dressings.
The book is visually pleasing with lots of great photos and lots of white space. I used the index and found it to be well done. I hate cookbooks that don’t have a good index and this has passed the test.
The Author
Nava Atlas, the author of Wild about Greens, has written a number of other vegan cookbooks. She also has many recipes on her website, The Vegan Atlas. You might want to check out Wild about Greens and some of her other books.